2018 WINNERS

Competition/ Regulatory Team of the Year

Competition/ Regulatory Team of the Year

WINNER: Sidley Austin and Gibson Dunn

This year’s competition and regulatory award goes to a joint entry from Sidley Austin and Gibson Dunn. Sidley partner Stephen Kinsella and Gibson Dunn partner David Wood were co-counsel on arguably the most significant abuse of dominance case in recent times, acting for industry body ICOMP (Initiative for a Competitive Online Marketplace) against Google. ICOMP members Foundem and Kelkoo were being demoted or dropped from online search results pages, to be replaced by Google Shopping. Through a combination of acute legal analysis and a broader awareness campaign which led to more companies filing complaints and an intervention from main consumer body BEUC, Kinsella and Wood were rewarded with victory in June 2017, when the European Commission fined Google EURO2.42bn. Individual companies will now be able to pursue damages claims in national courts.

The judgment has widely been acclaimed as a precedent-setting result in a highly-charged sector. As global business becomes increasingly digitised, competition teams will have to wrestle with complex issues around online behaviour and search. ‘This was one of the top cases in an area of wide public interest, against a hugely sophisticated and well-resourced opponent,’ said the judges. ‘A great example of the importance of top-class lawyering. It’s a game-changer for online business.’

Highly commended: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, led by Alastair Chapman and Deirdre Trapp, was highly commended for its work advising Tesco on the £3.4bn merger with wholesaler Booker, which will create the UK’s largest food group and was the first retail-to-wholesale grocery merger examined by the CMA. The merger was cleared with no remedies.

Commended: Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance, led by Greg Olsen, advised Mastercard on a landmark CMA clearance with non-structural remedies of Mastercard’s £700m acquisition of Vocalink

OFFSHORE FIRM OF THE YEAR

OFFSHORE FIRM OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Carey Olsen

For the last three years Carey Olsen has executed a significant programme of expansion that has underlined its status as an offshore powerhouse. In 2015 it opened in Singapore, in 2016 in Hong Kong and in 2017 the firm launched in its fifth legal jurisdiction with an office in Bermuda. Eschewing merger, Carey Olsen has opened new offices with targeted hires and subsequent growth. With Caribbean jurisdictions of increasing interest for Asian clients, the launch in Bermuda underpins the firm’s continued growth across the Asia region. Meanwhile work in the Channel Islands, the firm’s home base, continues to be strong in both contentious and non-contentious work. Carey Olsen was the leading listing agent for The International Stock Exchange in 2017, advises over 1,200 funds across the Channel Islands and nine of the world’ top ten private equity clients – and is now targeting fintech. A strong year from a confident partnership. ‘Real market leadership, innovative initiatives and impressive expertise,’ said the judges, praising the firm’s international growth strategy.

Highly commended: Ogier

Ogier expanded its cross-jurisdiction capability in 2018, adding strength in depth to its BVI and Cayman law offering. The firm opened an office in London in 2017 and has been involved in a series of high-value cases in Cayman and Guernsey. The judges praised its ‘phenomenal growth in revenue and profile’.

Commended: Bedell Cristin

Bedell Cristin’s strong run of deals in Jersey, Guernsey and BVI were noted by the judges, who commended its ‘substantial’ work and its ‘great ambitions’.

FUNDS TEAM OF THE YEAR

FUNDS TEAM OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Travers Smith

A Travers Smith team led by head of investment funds Sam Kay advised life sciences venture capital firm SV Health Managers on the fundraising of the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), which aims to support discovery and development of novel dementia treatment. The DDF is the first time that charity, government and the pharmaceutical industry have come together on this scale with a venture capital provider, with the ambition to tackle a major global health issue. Governmental involvement entailed specific state aid challenges around the process by which investors came in after first close. These included Woodford Patient Capital Trust plc, which required innovative and creative planning, and Gates Ventures LLC, the investment vehicle of Bill Gates.

Following the fundraising the fund has raised its hard cap from £130m to £245m. Because of the atypicality of the fund, which is not designed to focus predominantly on profit-generation, Travers Smith offered meaningful discounts to the client. The DDF aside, the firm won a slew of new clients in 2017 and 2018, confirming its standing in the City. The judges were impressed with the firm’s handing of ‘complex negotiations’, its ‘interesting collaboration with an important objective’ and is ‘demonstration of cross-practice area support’. A truly worthwhile project with impeccable execution.

Highly commended: Osborne Clarke

In 2015 the government mandated local government pension scheme (LGPS) funds pool their assets with the intention of reducing costs and reorganising resources so that the funds could become larger investors in infrastructure. An Osborne Clarke team consisting of partners Helen Parsonage, Mark Womersley, Mark Weser and Catherine Wolfenden carried out the project, noted by the judges for its ‘high degree of regulatory innovation and project management’ and for its impressive technical competency’

Commended: Herbert Smith Freehills

HSF, led by partner Nigel Farr, advised BioPhama Credit on its IPO, the second largest investment fund IPO of 2017. The judges singled out its ‘innovative and successful’ structure on a ‘detailed and complex’ deal.

INDEPENDENT FIRM OF THE YEAR NORTH/SCOTLAND

INDEPENDENT FIRM OF THE YEAR NORTH/SCOTLAND

WINNER: JMW

JMW has carved out a superb niche in the North West. In 2017 its results revealed exceptional growth in revenue and profit, up by 25 per cent and 71 per cent respectively. Neither was that year a one-off; since 2010 the firm, led by Joy Kingsley, has posted double-digit growth every year. While JMW has made a habit of making eye-catching laterals, it has also invested in its own people. Of the firm’s 20 trainees, 19 were previously paralegals at the firm. JMW has seen some notable successes in litigation, including a group litigation against Morrisons on a data leak – the first data leak class action in the UK. Clients that instruct the firm include Sale Sharks, London Sport Exchange, Tattu and Silverlane Developments.

The judges decided JMW was the standout entry in a strong category and singled out examples of client-friendly innovation, including 30 minutes free advice for employees of client companies. ‘Its growth and success is driven by its digital and entrepreneurial approach to the legal sector,’ they said, commending its ‘wide-ranging and high profile work portfolio, financial transparency and extremely strong growth figures’.

Highly commended: Shulmans

Shulmans has motored over the last few years, with turnover in 2017 up 20 per cent to £16m. With determined leadership, the firm has distinguished itself by strong investment in operational excellence, including a focus on innovative pricing. That ethos has won it a slew of national clients including Lidl, Greggs, Barrtt Homes and motorway service station operator Extra MSA. Judges praised its ‘impressive organic growth, excellent client wins and people focus’.

Commended: Thorntons

Thorntons has rapidly made a name for itself as a progressive, growing firm in Soctland. 2017-18 saw it revamping its processes and client service delivery and acquiring Pagan Osborne from administration – a deal that accelerated its ambition to be a £30m turnover business by 2020. The judges noted its ‘strong leadership’, ‘smart initiatives’, ‘innovative pricing models’ and clear focused strategy’.

INDEPENDENT FIRM OF THE YEAR – SOUTH AND MIDLANDS

INDEPENDENT FIRM OF THE YEAR – SOUTH AND MIDLANDS

WINNER: Wiggin

With excellent financials, an acquisition of IP law firm Redd and expansion in London, 2017-18 was a standout year for media and IP specialist Wiggin. It built on a strong previous financial year with revenues up by 21.5 per cent and revenue per lawyer increasing by 11 per cent. Based originally in Cheltenham, it now has over 62 staff in London and punches well above its weight with clients all over the globe: they include Vodafone, William Hill, Marvel TV, Inmotion (Jaguar Landrover) and Addison Global. The firm has diversified its interests and has invested or cofounded a variety of ventures. These include Incopro, a tech busiess that tracks and enforces against IP infringement; Reviewed and Cleared, a content clearance service that uses fixed fees; Viewfinder, an executive producing service in which pricing works on a percentage basis, either of production budget or net receipts; and Cirkus and Curio, which helps clients expand into digital media. The judges praised Wiggin’s ‘solid and impressive’ efforts to ‘forge ahead, grow and distinguish itself in a crowded market’ and its ‘good use of technology and strong strategic vision’.

Highly Commended: Memery Crystal

Best known for its stellar AIM practice, Memery Crystal has also built a strong reputation in the natural resources, media and real estate sectors, in both contentious and non-contentious work. ‘An independent firm that is evidently doing it right,’ said the judges.

Commended: asb law

Asb law has undergone a transformation over the last few years. Having rejected the billable hour, it has garnered a wide variety of clients who have been attracted by its tech-focused approach. A strong year was topped by its inclusion on BT’s roster. The judges commended the firm’s ‘highly impressive, progressive approach’, calling it ‘exciting and innovative’.

BOUTIQUE FIRM OF THE YEAR

BOUTIQUE FIRM OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Fenchurch Law

Fenchurch Law was set up in 2010 to focus purely on specialist insurance advice for policyholders on complex coverage disputes. Seven years on, and the firm has comprehensively achieved what it set out to do. It is now the largest specialist team I the UK serving policyholders, ranging from multinationals to high-net worth individuals and brokers such as Aon, Willis Towers Watson, JLT and AJ Gallagher.

The firm also offers innovative models for clients; a package dubbed ‘Unlimited’ provides cost-effected resolutions against well-funded insurers, which in the event of a coverage dispute gives unlimited free legal advice, a barrister from a leading insurance set, disbursement funding and ATE insurance, in exchange for 1 per cent of the policy premium. ‘A good model and clear strategy,’ said the judges, ‘and they operate in a difficult market place.’ The panel also singled out Fenchurch Law’s ‘impressive’ pricing structures.

Highly commended: MJ Hudson

Alternative asset specialist MJ Hudson has made a serious set of acquisitions in the past two years, but has stayed close to its vision of advising players within the alternative assets industry, from governments, charities, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and fund managers. It offers absolute transparency on fees and as an ABS has the flexibility to take non-voting equity stakes in clients’ businesses in lieu of cash fees. The judges praised the firm’s ‘strong growth’ and ‘focus on talent management and workplace development’.

Commended: PCB Litigation

Asset recovery and fraud specialists PCB Litigation has enjoyed a streak of high-profile, high-value work over 2017 and 2018, including headline cases such as the Hellas Telecommunication trial, in which it acts for leading private equity house TPG – one of The Lawyer’s top 20 cases of 2018. ‘With high-stakes, high-profile cases, this firm is one to watch’, said the judges.

In-house Banking and Financial Services

In-house Banking and Financial Services

WINNER: LV=

LV’s game-changing year provided an unprecedented opportunity for the in-house team, led by general counsel Chris Griffin, to play a leading role in the insurer’s business success. They were at the forefront of the largest deal in LV=’s 175-year history, establishing a joint venture with Allianz to create the third largest personal insurer in the UK, valued in excess of £1bn.

Supported by Clifford Chance, the in-house legal team planned, structured and negotiated the highly complex deal under stringent time constraints and involving different, fast-paced work streams.

In parallel, the nine-strong team worked on transforming the legal support model for group procurement activity. The legal team worked alongside the procurement function to grapple with a large increase in transactional work and deliver more legal involvement. This meant integrating a new cost-effective system supported through Eversheds Ignite. The company’s new managed legal services (MLS) launched in May 2017 allowed low-risk and low value work to be managed through a flexibly-resourced pool.

Alongside a number of contract system improvements, this allowed the legal team to focus on more strategic decision-making on transactions and offer more transparency to the rest of the business on the status of legal work.

As the company enters a new chapter in its history, the in-house legal team has implemented a new relationship management framework under which in-house lawyers align themselves to one or more key strategic themes that underpin LV=’s strategy. This will lead to a closer relationship with stakeholders in the business and clear accountability for identifying and briefing emerging risks.

Highly commended: The Ardonagh Group

This highly commended in-house team worked on an incredibly complex five-way merger between Towergate, Price Forbes, Direct Group, Chase Templeton and Autonet to create the largest independent broker in the UK – Ardonagh Group. Led by general counsel Geogg Grouiiet and chief counsel corporate and commercial Frances Coates, they acted as chief advisers to the Ardonagh board.

Commended: London Stock Exchange Group

The LSE Group’s ambition to enhance its information services division and expand in the US allowed the in-house team, led by corporate transactions head of legal James Kerton, to work on the acquisition of The Yield Book and Citi Fixed Income Indices business from Citigroup. The Lawyer Awards judges said this deal “demonstrates innovation and legal team taking a leadership role within the business”.

In-house Commerce & Industry

In-house Commerce & Industry

WINNER: Cadent Gas

This exceptional in-house legal team demonstrates the success that a legal team can achieve when given a core role as part of a company strategy.

Cadent Gas, an energy company that was formed during the breakoff of National Grid’s gas distribution business to a new subsidiary to a consortium of investors led by Macquarie, started operating last year as a new standalone business.

The company has grown exponentially over a very short period to supply over 11 million customers, and had to set up a new core team to support the national business in an extremely short time period.

The in-house team has a seat on the executive leadership team, has a company secretary role on the board and on key management committees.

In the last year, the team put in place full corporate, financial, assurance and compliance structures; while also managing all the legal and IP aspects of the new brand creation.

Outside of building the business, the Cadent Gas in-house team has also worked on regulatory issues, providing dedicated support in preparation for RIIO 2, the framework under which financial return and required outputs will be set by Ofgem with effect from March 2021.

The Lawyer Award judges said: “To establish a legal team from a standing start and implement the processes and procedures to enable a £13bn "start-up" to function in a highly regulated market is impressive indeed.”

Highly commended: Severn Trent

The Severn Trent in-house legal team broke new ground, creating a new Welsh and English businesses as a first in the sector. The team battled regulation and licencing processes to deliver a seamless offering for clients in both jurisdictions. The judges praised its ‘innovative use of a regulatory process’ that made the ‘transformation project impressive’.

Commended: Post Office

The Post Office transformed its entire in-house legal function to respond to fundamental changes in the company’s strategy. With new tech, a target operating model and a restructure of people, the team has remained competitive in a challenging retail environment. The judges commended the ‘impressive list of structural, strategic and work-based achievements from a team subject to challenging budget and regulatory constraints’.

In-house TMT of the Year

In-house TMT of the Year

WINNER: BT Legal (Privacy, Security & Internet Law)

BT’s in-house legal team demonstrated the power of innovation in the law to protect a hugely valuable asset in a dynamic regulatory environment, The Lawyer Awards judges said.

This award-winning entry, which judges said was “very impressive for a 12-lawyer team”, involved a real-time website blocking court orders to prevent the piracy of Premier League and UEFA games.

This process, which departed from previous orders where the Court would be aware of the infringers at the time of writing it, allowed BT to take immediate action during the broadcasting of the game when the infringement is still relevant.

A team led by head of legal privacy, security and internet Greg Hughes championed and proposed the orders, as well as preparing the application and assisting with technical implementation. The team also proposed and helped to transfer this system to UEFA.

Using audience data and internet traffic through ISPs to measure the activity to these infringing sites live during matches meant that BT could prove that a spike meant that these sites were being used for piracy.

It ultimately led to a High Court Order for the last 8 weeks of the 2016/17 PL season as a “trial run” which was then renewed for the 2017/18 season. The judges were wowed by the BT team, calling their work ‘ground-breaking’ and ‘creative’.

Highly commended: Visa

Creative problem solving took centre stage, as the in-house team at Visa worked on the launch of a new internal innovation centre. Under the leadership of former Deutsche Bank in-houser Emma Slatter, the team worked on the launch of an environment for investment in fin tech startups to come up with creative solutions for payment products. Novel legal issues encountered in the TMT sector meant that the team had to develop a new way of handling the disclosure of confidential information. The Lawyer Awards judges described this work as “tangible progress in a highly regulated sector”.

Commended: Litigation Team, Sky Legal

The sky legal team worked on 13 cases to combat subscribers who illegally distribute streams of Sky’s content. Judges said: “A strong submission, highlighting the big impact made by a small team in tackling piracy, including unique and innovative solutions.”

General Counsel of the Year

General Counsel of the Year

WINNER: Dan Toner, General Counsel and Group Company Secretary, Spire Healthcare Group 1

The past year has been a period of unparalleled challenge for Spire Healthcare’s legal team, led by general counsel and group company secretary Dan Toner. In addition to the day job (which in 2017 included opening two new hospitals, rolling out the latest phase of sector remedies following the CMA’s inquiry into private healthcare and fending off a takeover bid from Spire’s largest shareholder) Dan found himself at the centre of difficult events that attracted international media attention.

In responding to these unprecedented events, Dan went outside his comfort zone as a corporate lawyer to provide strategic and moral leadership, whilst along the way settling the UK’s largest ever medical negligence case.

In this crisis management litigation, the team came up with a managed process to minimise costs and move claims from patients forward; designed a settlement fund structure that allowed all victims, including those that had not yet come forward, to be compensated; leading in crisis management investigations and media strategy; and producing the first guide to hospital regulation and legal requirements.

“It is clear that this was way beyond the day job and uncharted waters for Dan and his team with myriad legal issues to deal with along with significant media interest and commentary to manage,” The Lawyer Awards judges said. ‘The company faced a very significant reputational and commercial challenge – rather than only dealing with the legal aspects of this case, it’s clear that there was great thought around the impact on public opinion, doing the right thing, and justice.’

Lucy has embedded a simple but effective legal strategy - to protect the business whilst ensuring HS1 achieves its commercial objectives and maximises its commercial opportunities. Her strategy has had a direct impact on the entire business.

She has been central to helping set the direction of the company following the sale of HS1 to ensure the business is best placed to deliver for shareholders, investors, customers and the passengers that use HS1 and its stations. The judges praised her for ‘clearly making a major contribution across numerous aspects of what is one of the largest and most important infrastructure projects going on today […] It’s cutting-edge stuff and very impressive.’

Commended: Alice Marsden, General Counsel and Company Secretary, Thomas Cook

Alice delivered the final pieces of her reorganisation of the legal

and company secretariat team during 2017 in order to align with the horizontal matrix implemented across the business. Judges were impressed by her work resuling in a number of widely reported judgments for fundamental dishonesty, a landmark criminal prosecution for fraud and a significant volume of claim discontinuances. The judges commended Marsden’s ‘clear commercial strategy’, displaying ‘a real value-add’.

Best Collaboration Initiative

Best Collaboration Initiative

WINNER: Moore Blatch and Bermans – Escalate

“My business represents over 5,000 small creative businesses. They are crying out for this sort of service and for the legal and financial profession to work differently to deliver it,” said one judge of Escalate, the collaboration between Moore Blatch and Bermans. “This is a good example of firms thinking outside the box to deliver something a client actually needs.”

The commercial dispute market for SMEs has been fragile for a long time, with high upfront costs, considerable financial risks and a slow process preventing access to justice for claimants. Escalate is a process designed to give SMEs that access through a cashflow-centric solution. It removes all financial risk from the claimant, including protection from adverse costs. The delivery process is changed to target prompt settlement and ensure all disputes have an outcome rather than be lost or left unfinished. It has fixed fees, guaranteeing the claimant will always be the main beneficiary of any award.

Escalate is a two-stage process. Firstly, it targets a negotiated settlement, using corporate recovery specialists with a track record of rapidly recovering assets to negotiate for the claimant using our bespoke pre-action protocol, and encouraging the defendant to settle quickly without litigation. If the defendant is unwilling to settle within three months, Escalate will, acting on a fully conditional basis, begin preparing for litigation with the back-up of the adverse costs insurance. All fees and associated costs are funded by Escalate on the client’s behalf all the way up to a High Court resolution.

“I think the idea and execution is genius,” another judge added. “I like the fact that it's aimed at creating access to justice and that brainpower has been used to identify the key component parts and the build back up again to deliver the solution. I can see why clients would love it and I wish them well.”

Another concurred: “It’s a clever, clever concept growing out of greater collaboration across a number of industries to give SMEs real prospects of recovery without having to spend exorbitant legal fees or having to write off debt.”

Highly commended: TrustLaw (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

TrustLaw’s pro bono advice service works with thousands of lawyers across the world and judges agreed that “it is commendable work on a global scale.”

Commended: Michelmores

Michelmores’ partnership with Oxygen House designed to bring the concept of sustainability to the fore in Exeter, was “a great example of how two professional service companies, both legal and non-legal, can collaborate to improve energy efficiency and more generally seek to influence the wider community to become more sustainable,” judges said.

Best Workplace Initiative

Best Workplace Initiative

WINNER: Shakespeare Martineau

Shakespeare Martineau’s winning entry was born out of the firm becoming the legal partner for Commonwealth Games England.

A host of fitness-centred projects – including offering all its people a free Fitbit to compete in progressively harder stepping challenges over an 18-month period, with a prize of winning a trip to the Gold Coast to see the Commonwealth Games – yielded fantastic results. Some 90 per cent of Shakespeare Martineau’s staff say they will continue to wear and use their Fitbits even though the challenges have finished, while 73 per cent now make time to take their lunch breaks.

“This is a really interesting way to encourage wellbeing in members of staff, and the figures speak for themselves,” said one judge. “It’s a simple idea but so positive to health, wellbeing and team-building,” agreed another. “The benefits are clear and numerous and it generally leaves a 'good feel'.”

Highly Commended: Shire Pharmaceuticals

Shire is commended for its ”impressive and innovative approach to career development for in-house counsel,” pod, which stands for people, operations and development. It is the newly-created Global Legal Department’s transformation programme, designed to share knowledge, inspire learning, create connections and build the future.

Commended: Fieldfisher

Judges praised Fieldfisher’s Inclusiveness-Plus scheme that moves past traditional ‘women's development programmes’ that put the onus on women to change their behaviour, while not addressing the wider systemic issues and the roles that men have to play. “Auditing and updating the existing curriculum to bring it in line with current themes is something which all firms should be doing, but I suspect many are not,” said one judge. “Fieldfisher’s focus on all people and ‘softer skills’ is refreshing, as is the tone from the top.”

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion

WINNER: Reed Smith

Reed Smith has built on its disability affinity programme (a winner at The Lawyer Awards in 2015) to further increase its diversity efforts. Among other initiatives, it has relaunched its multicultural network and has ramped up its mentoring and reverse-mentoring offerings.

The judges found things to praise across the board in Reed Smith’s entry. Many were impressed by the fact that the firm now circulates scorecards for each of its practice groups and offices, measuring diversity metrics including headcount by title, attrition, new hires and promotions. The scorecards are tied to the Reed Smith’s new Management Bonus Plan.

The firm shows “a real breadth of activities across the full diversity and inclusion agenda that is clearly working,” said one judge. “Particularly impressive is the offer of work experience to more than 40 aspiring lawyers with disabilities as well as the focus on social mobility, and the launch of an innovative reverse-mentoring programme.”

Meanwhile, another was “particularly impressed with the LEADRS programme” the disability affinity group Looking for Excellence and Advancement of Disabled Attorneys at Reed Smith. “It is evident that a lot of time and effort has been put into addressing diversity at the firm.”

Highly commended: Barclays Legal

Barclays Legal is highly commended for its introduction of ThinkTalent, a work experience programme designed to improve employment prospects for students with autism. Working with the specialist charity CareTrade, Barclays took on five students on its initial scheme. Two of the three who have since completed their studies have since accepted roles in the profession, while the third has secured a vacation scheme.

Commended: CMS

CMS was commended for a variety of measures primarily aimed at women in law. It implemented a new maternity and paternity policy following its three-way merger, taking a 'best of three' approach to give employees a significantly enhanced package, including the option to take extended unpaid leave after the paid maternity period ends. Similarly, the firm's Time Out! No questions asked scheme aims to reduce burnout by allowing workers to take a month of unpaid leave for any purpose.

Pro Bono Initiative of the Year

Pro Bono Initiative of the Year

WINNER: Freshfields

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is recognised this year for its long-running partnership with Shelter. In 2017, the firm acted for the charity’s Children’s Legal Service in a test case concerning the government’s benefit cap. At issue: whether the cap disproportionately impacts housing and finances of lone parents with children under two and puts them at risk of poverty and homelessness. The claim was successful in the High Court, with the judge finding that the benefit cap was unlawful in so far as it applied to lone parents with children under two.

Judges praised both the firm’s work on the individual case backed up by the longstanding and committed approach that it has taken to this particular pro bono initiative. “It is clear just how important Freshfields have been for such a long time,” said one. “The length and depth of this relationship is striking and it is clear the firm made a real commitment to the CLS and made a real difference as a result,” added another.

Highly commended: TrustLaw (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

TrustLaw, from The Thomson Reuters Foundation, is the world’s largest legal pro bono platform, and in 2017 facilitated 253 pro bono projects in the UK and provided its free service to 890 UK-based NGOs and social enterprises.

Commended: Hogan Lovells and Manchester Law Society

Hogan Lovells, alongside Manchester Law Society and others, are representing victims of terrorism at the Coroner’s inquests into the terrorist attacks at Westminster Bridge and Palace, London Bridge and Borough Market, Finsbury Park Mosque and the Manchester Arena bombing.

In-house not-for-profit Team of the Year

In-house not-for-profit Team of the Year

WINNER: Pension Protection Fund

In August 2017, a Regulated Apportionment Arrangement was agreed to separate the British Steel Pension Scheme from Tata Steel – a transaction that was vital in securing the long term financial security of over 120,000 pension scheme members.

The PPF’s legal team was at the forefront of these negotiations and played an instrumental role in the successful completion of the final transaction. A deal of this significance and nature had never been completed before, and to date it remains the largest deal that the PPF has ever negotiated.

Former PPF CEO Alan Rubenstein personally asked the director of legal, compliance and ethics, Dana Grey, to lead the BSPS project herself, and she acted as the single overarching co-ordinator for the entire project, liaising with and directing a myriad of internal and external stakeholders throughout the entire transaction.

“This was a single, highly complex transaction that required the personal input of the Director of Legal that has shaped the way in which subsequent transactions are dealt with in an area open to political and public scrutiny,” a judge commented. Another concurred: “It shows an enormous amount of effort on the part of Dana Grey in the face of public scrutiny and political pressure – she deserves huge congratulations on completing a market-leading precedent.”

Highly commended: UNISON Legal

UNISON Legal’s team were commended for the ground-breaking Employment Tribunal fees win in the Supreme Court: “a very interesting case with far-reaching ramifications for union members and employees alike.”

Commended: nplaw, Norfolk County Council

nplaw was nominated for its project and commercial work currently being undertaken for the National Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Frameworks initiative, in particular in relation to Data Protection and GDPR Compliance. It is high value, high risk and high profile work, and judges recognised the “super delivery of a complex contractual proposition.”

Corporate Team of the Year

Corporate Team of the Year

WINNER: Clifford Chance

This year’s corporate team of the year award goes to Clifford Chance. M&A partners Lee Coney and Katherine Moir led for Imagination Technologies, a British “tech darling” involved in a David and Goliath dispute, when it found itself up against tech giant Apple. The UK chip designer put itself up for sale after a “very public and high stakes” dispute over licensing patents with Apple in June 2017. By September, it had received a takeover approach from Chinese-backed private equity firm Canyon Bridge, for £550m

The judges described it as a “high profile situation” with “complex political sensitivities”.

Imagination, which at its peak in 2012 was valued at nearly £2bn, first found itself up against Apple, when the US computer giant declined to continue using its chip designs by 2019. As Imagination’s largest customer, which used Imagination’s patents to help power the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, the dramatic announcement resulted in a 62 per cent drop in Imagination’s share price in a single day.

When the dispute resolution procedure kicked off, Imagination initially declared it would be putting two of its three core businesses up for sale, including its MIPS division (a US business). The whole company was then subsequently put up for sale, and the corporate team helped overcome complications within the regulatory US asset landscape, to find a successful Chinese purchaser, with transactions negotiated simultaneously across three time zones.

The team “successfully managed a formal sale process under the Takeover Code against the backdrop of a challenging regulatory environment and high profile litigation is impressive” added the judges.

Highly commended: Addleshaw Goddard

Addleshaw Goddard, led by partner Nick Pearey, was highly commended for taking the lead on a £4bn deal advising gambling operator GVC in its takeover of rival Ladbroke Coral Group. The deal, which was played out against the backdrop of the government’s Triennial Review, created one of the largest listed sports betting and gambling companies in the world, with a market capitalisation of over £5bn. The judges described it as a “very significant transaction and a great transaction for Addleshaws to lead – with interesting and novel structuring aspects”, adding that the “ability to continue to service a client like this as it matures and expands is testament to Addleshaws’ corporate team.

Commended: Allen & Overy

Allen & Overy, led by partner Duncan Bellamy, secured a mega £9bn merger between London-based payment processor Worldpay and US rival Vantiv. A judge stated that “I was particularly impressed by the complex nature of this transaction which is ground-breaking in nature. The project management involved in two listings across a number of time zones with the added complication of a scheme document must have been very involved”.

Finance Team of the Year

Finance Team of the Year

WINNER: Paul Hastings

This year’s finance team of the year award goes to Paul Hastings, led by partner David Ereira. The team oversaw one of the biggest bail-outs of the year, succeeding on the restructuring of the beleaguered Co-operative bank within the space of a few weeks. Paul Hastings acted for the fund management companies, stitching together a rescue package to save the bank before a £400m bond was due to fall for repayment.

As well as meeting the requirements of the bank, the deal had to satisfy the needs of the funds, agreeing to convert their claims to equity and providing the new capital particularly to ensure a more appropriate management and governance structure could be put in place.

The full restructuring solution was agreed and implemented within just a few weeks, requiring no public money and with no bank resolution.

The judges commented that the restructuring of the bank was an “impressive, broad based team effort” which juggled “a number of different and competing issues”. They concluded that the entry is “a stand out”.

“Most impressively they seem to have devised an alternative scheme to the one originally proposed, to the very significant benefit of their clients and the other stakeholders and interested parties”.

Highly commended: Reed Smith.

Reed Smith, led by partner Rasajoy Basu developed and launched the word’s first development impact bond (DIB) aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality in Rajasthan, India, in what the judges described as a “socially significant” and “clearly very bespoke” transaction. The interventions that the bond will finance will reach up to 600,000 pregnant women and could lead to up to 10,000 lives being saved over five years. A judge commented that “this is the stand-out entry for me from all the categories I have judged: a technically complex transaction which achieves positive social impact as well as commercial results; the tram have innovated with technology as well as having saved the clients fees by contributing a substantial number of pro bono hours”.

Commended: Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

Orrick, led by partner Stephen Phillips, oversaw drilling contractor titan Ocean Rig through a successful restructuring in the Cayman Islands and a Chapter 15 bankruptcy filing, following a huge downturn in the oil industry. The judges commented that this was “a very impressive and highly complex strategy for dealing with the restructuring and refinancing of an offshore drilling company, involving many innovative features and a ground breaking use of a litigation trust”.

Real Estate Team of the Year

Real Estate Team of the Year

WINNER: CMS

This year’s real estate team of the year goes to CMS, for acting on the largest fully funded private rented sector development in Manchester to date. The firm’s work on Circle Square, a sprawling new neighbourhood constructed on the former BBC site in the heart of Manchester, compelled the judges to comment that “few firms can deliver such an integrated service”.

Partner Peter Winnard led a firm-wide team consisting of planning, environmental, procurement, real estate, tax, finance, commercial and corporate specialists in acting for a joint venture for developers Select Property Group (SPG) and Bruntwood.

Circle Square had a number of complex demands, including the creation of a bespoke estate/development structure which both accommodated the site-specific requirements of the development, whilst remaining institutionally acceptable.

The team ensured that SPG did not pay a “premium” fee for work completed in Manchester, if the relevant specialists happened to come from London. The whole CMS team (across Manchester, London and Sheffield) worked at the rate agreed with SPG for CMS Manchester and not the higher London rates.

When completed, the £750m development will spring into a vibrant community consisting of housing, retail and commercial (1,300 homes, 100,000 sq ft of retail space and 1.2m sq ft of Grade A offices).

The judges commented that CMS completed a “highly complex but significant transaction involving multiple parties and joint ventures to create regeneration and growth for Manchester. The development was an example of “excellent collaboration and fostering of relations with other parties externally counsel evidenced by GC supporting reference”.

Highly commended: Eversheds Sutherland.

Eversheds Sutherland, led by partner Nick Bartlett, spearheaded a supersonic deal in the student housing market, between private equity company LetterOne and the Pure Living Student business to IQ for £870m. The deal allowed IQ to become the largest provider of student accommodation in London. The judges said that this was a “really impressive entry by Eversheds” and “the fact that the client still paid the upper cap to Eversheds despite coming in under the budgeted fees is a clear sign of the remarkable work undertaken by the lawyers”.

Commended: Hogan Lovells

Hogan Lovells, led by head of real estate Daniel Norris, secured planning permission for AFC Wimbledon to construct a new, £25m, 20,000-seat stadium back at its old home near Plough Lane. For his part in the club’s revivification, it came as a boyhood dream for Norris,a lifetime supporter of the Wombles. A judge commented that they were “particularly impressed by the human element to this submission and willingness to offer an innovative pricing structure to facilitate the transaction”.

Energy and Infrastructure Team of the Year

Energy and Infrastructure Team of the Year

WINNER: White & Case

White & Case scoops the prize this year for leading on Africa’s largest ever infrastructure deal. The firm represented mining and energy conglomerates Vale and Mitsui on the development and $2.7bn project financing of the Nacala Railway and Port Project, a transformative 912km corridor shared by Mozambique and Malawi.

Judges praised the firm for “deftly delivering a hugely significant project in politically, economically and legally demanding conditions”. Coming onto the project six years ago, White & Case had to battle with the major downsizing in commodity prices in 2015, as well as an International Monetary Fund audit report and investigation into Mozambique’s finances.

On the legal side, White & Case duo Caroline Miller Smith and Carina Radford drafted an inter-governmental treaty for both countries to sign, allowing for technical coordination of critical issues. There were multiple innovations throughout the deal, such as a multi-borrower structure to quell lenders’ concerns over how best to coordinate their finance arrangements with five companies in two countries. Concession agreements further had to be considered by the firm, as the two governments asked borrowers to provide access for cargo and passenger trains.

Described as a landmark deal for both its size and complexity, the Nacala Railway was also described by the judges as being a “great project with important local impact”. Requiring 5,000 employees when it is operational, Nacala looks set to be a positive feature of the Mozambique and Malawi economies.

Highly commended: Simmons & Simmons

Advising the lenders on the largest single-site onshore wind farm in Europe, Simmons & Simmons’ energy team helped secure debt financing on a €800m project constructed by General Electric and Macquarie vehicle Green Investment Group.

Commended: Allen & Overy

In a deal that faced intense public scrutiny, Allen & Overy represented a consortium comprised of Macquarie and Universites Superannuation Scheme on the £2.3bn acquisition of the UK Green Investment Bank from the UK Government.

International Firm of the Year

International Firm of the Year

WINNER: Cooley

West Coast firm Cooley has gone from strength to strength since launching in the City three years ago. The firm, which celebrated $1bn turnover worldwide in 2017, now houses 75 lawyers in London and upped its office revenue by 22 per cent in 2017 to $57.5m. Praised for its “ambition and development, particularly in the London market”, Cooley’s trajectory looks strong for one of the newest US players in town.

With a mixture of retail, media and technology clients at its disposal, the firm is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world's most vibrant sectors. The judges said it was focused on “specialist and high growth areas”, acting on “impressive deals, with a good coverage and client roster”. Standout corporates include eBay, StubHub, Nikon and Netflix, with the firm balancing its work for established and disruptive players alongside financial giants Apollo Global and GIC. Cooley is fast carving a niche for itself as a lead adviser on venture capital funds; it represented Deliveroo and SoftBank last year on transformative financing rounds.

While technology grabs the headlines, Cooley’s reputation in the US healthcare sector has also seen the firm’s London office take on a host of life sciences companies as they look to list in the UK or US stock markets. Cooley acted on more than 50 per cent of UK company IPOs on the NASDAQ in 2017; further testament to the London office’s expertise coupled with the power of the US brand.

Highly commended: Garrigues

The largest independent firm in Europe, Garrigues had a stand-out 2017 with stellar corporate deals and technology drives. The firm, which is now home to over 1,400 lawyers, implemented a security master plan to improve its IT functions and encouraged new ways of working with an innovation think tank.

Commended: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

It’s Quinn’s 10th birthday in London this year and it’s been a decade of standout hires, high-stakes litigation and impressive financials. 2017 was no different, seeing the firm launch new practices in contentious tax and constructions disputes, and moving into larger space in Olswang’s former offices.

IP/IT Team of the Year

IP/IT Team of the Year

WINNER: Hogan Lovells

In what was a first for UK courts dealing with patent issues crossing the borders of France, Italy, Spain and the UK, Hogan Lovells overturned decisions in lower courts to secure a successful Supreme Court decision for pharmaceutical client Lilly in one of last year’s landmark patent cases.

“This was a highly complex case. Hogan Lovells had the courage to take it to the Supreme Court, following adverse judgments in the High Court and Court of Appeal,” says one judge. “Their clients were fully successful in the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment in the field.”

The firm was hired in 2012 as Lilly faced a slew of claims for declarations of non-infringement (DNIs) from pharmaceutical rival Actavis.

Actavis sought to launch a copy of Lilly’s lung cancer drug Pemetrexed as its patent neared expiration, targeting DNIs across the four countries.

After unsuccessful hearings in the High Court and Court of Appeal, the firm finally advised its client to a winning judgment in the Supreme Court. Importantly, the case re-set the UK’s approach to the law where infringement on copyright was concerned by applying foreign law to its own decisions.

As one judge comments: “An impressive year from one of the biggest players. Landmark Supreme Court rulings always look good on the submission and are difficult to beat. The depth or preparation ahead of trail suggests that Hogan Lovells really had considered every angle here.”

Highly commended: Pinsent Masons

Pinsent Masons was highly commended for its continued advice of Starship Technologies, a company developing small, self-driving robots. One judge says: “This application shows strength both from a legal basis (and highly technical at that), but also from a political and strategic basis. Cutting edge area of law with real value add for the client.”

Commended: Powell Gilbert

A successful patent defence for genetic research client Illumina saw one judge describe this case as: “One for the boffins! Given the size of the firm and the incredibly technical areas in which they operate it is very impressive to see them listed as the most active UK firm in the Patent Courts.“

Litigation Team of the Year

Litigation Team of the Year

WINNER: UNISON Legal

Securing a unanimous Supreme Court decision is no mean feat, but trade union body UNISON achieved just that in July 2017 after a four-year battle across a range of different courts.

As one judge comments: “This case changed the law at the highest level and rolled back a change that was denying workers access to justice. The approach by UNISON shows real grit in developing evidence where there was none and getting the case re-heard on new evidence at first instance.”

In 2012, a proposal to introduce fees into the tribunal system was met with an outcry that cases would fall off a cliff as declining numbers of people would be able to afford access to justice. Joining the case in 2013, UNISON in-house lawyer Shantha David fought consistently, instructing counsel from Matrix and Blackstone Chambers.

The case was made even more difficult to mount due to a lack of evidence which David had to demand through Freedom of Information requests and a dogged pursuit of the Lord Chancellor for information.

That determination plays well with the judges, as one comments: “A minimal team led by the in-house solicitor - great tenacity and perseverance and a result that makes a real difference to a great many people.”

Highly commended: Hogan Lovells

Against a background of rising political tension between the UK and Russia, Hogan Lovells battle against Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev set precedents in laws over “sham trusts” and causes one judge to comment: “The team at Hogan Lovells has shown dedication in securing a landmark judgment against a Russian oligarch, and in doing so has shaped the future of trust law in England and Wales.”

Commended: Hudgell Solicitors

The firm’s success in securing a Court of Appeal ruling allowing a conditional fee agreement to be transferred from one firm to another was described as: “The most important judgment affecting costs since the Jackson reforms”.

Barrister of the Year

Barrister of the Year

WINNER: Julia Smart, Furnival Chambers

Julia Smart’s year causes to one judge to describe her work as: “Lawyering at its very finest, when the stakes are at their highest.”

Her standout case in Regina v Liam Allan defending Liam Allan against six counts of rape and six counts of sexual assault demonstrated an outstanding degree of tenacity. Her diligent search of messages between the complainant and their friends uncovered evidence which proved crucial to her client’s success in the case.

Another judge says: “Julia's work in criminal law in securing a fair trial and accurate disclosure of evidence, together with her dedication, commitment and effective work in debating in the media the important issues in the Liam Allan case is very impressive. Her outstanding legal work whilst parenting three young children makes her a role model for women in law.”

Smart’s success sparked a House of Lords debate led by Lord Morris which resulted in prime minister Theresa May being called to comment.

Earlier this year, the Justice Select Committee confirmed a full inquiry would be conducted into the Crown Prosecution Service and the disclosure in the case which was published three days later.

Smart’s efforts illuminated failings in the criminal justice system, particularly around the issue of disclosure in the case.

Another judge says: “The Allan case highlighted the real problems of disclosure in criminal cases and the impact on defendants and potential miscarriages of justice.”

Highly commended: Karon Monaghan QC, Matrix Chambers

Current Hot100 barrister Karon Monaghan worked tirelessly with UNISON in-house lawyer Shantha David to help secure a Supreme Court judgment in one of the year’s most important access to justice decisions.

As one judge comments: “I really view the employment fees litigation as genuinely stand out over the last year.”

Commended: Neil Block, 39 Essex Chambers

Block’s work acting for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as the defendant in the largest group personal injury claim in history has earned him a commendation in this year’s awards. One judge comments of Block: “Neil has undertaken some tremendously complex cases, that are of huge public interest and his references are outstanding.”

Chambers of the Year

Chambers of the Year

WINNER: Wilberforce Chambers

Wilberforce Chambers is acting on some of the biggest and most complex disputes around, as evidenced by it featuring in two of this year’s Top 20 Cases of 2018.

One judge says of Wilberforce’s standout year: “Wilberforce Chambers is at the forefront of the law with 2 of the top 20 cases of 2018 as identified by The Lawyer. It has seen strong growth in its international profile across Asia and rapid expansion of head count within chambers. Its strategic approach is paying dividends and I expect it will go from strength to strength in the years ahead.”

The two Top 20 Cases see barristers from Wilberforce are acting on both sides in KeyMed Ltd v Michael Woodford and Paul Hillman and Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Limited v Lloyds Bank plc and others. The former is one of the biggest corporate fraud cases in Japanese history, while the latter deals with a landmark pensions and benefits case.

Wilberforce has also seen outstanding financial growth, falling just six per cent short of doubling its Singaporean revenue between 2015 and 2017. It is predicted that it’s London operation will have grown by 30 per cent since 2015 when its 2017/18 financial results are finalised.

Another judge says: “Impressive list of cases, clearly at the forefront of most significant high value complex cases this year. The spread of barristers involved shows its strength in depth with good growth in its stats.”

Highly commended: Landmark Chambers

A strong year for Landmark Chambers saw it restructure its clerking team and bring in two highly experienced senior practice managers. One judge says: “A holistic entry from an excellent property/planning/environment practice. Bold restructuring of the clerks team and a very unified approach.”

One judge says: “A holistic entry from an excellent property/planning/environment practice. Bold restructuring of the clerks team and a very unified approach.”

Most Innovative Use of Technology

Most Innovative Use of Technology

WINNER: Simmons & Simmons

Simmons & Simmons’ entry to this year’s awards addressed the elephant in the room: Brexit. As March 2019 draws closer there remains little clarity on what Brexit means for UK civil justice and similar levels of practical advice for in-house lawyers to answer questions about the practical effect of Brexit. Consequently, Simmons developed Disputes Aviator, an online tool to enable in-house lawyers to analyse factual scenarios within the framework of currently foreseeable post-Brexit legislation. It uses Neota Logic’s AI technology to automate the provision of advice and allow in-house lawyers to take into account key circumstantial factors that affect the level of risk in relation to the recognition and enforceability of English jurisdiction or governing law clauses and the enforcement of English court judgments post-Brexit. Disputes Aviator then generates a risk weighted report setting out the current and the various post-Brexit positions. Simmons plans to update it regularly to reflect legal developments, publications and commentary by key stakeholders and believes it will be relevant not only in the lead up to, but also following Brexit. Judges said: “This is an inspired idea and the first of its kind. Simmons have turned the Brexit uncertainty into an opportunity to inform and support clients with a simple and very effective tool.”

Highly commended: Pinsents Masons

Pinsents Masons built its own technology platform, TermFrame, to systematise legal knowledge and process and meet a wide range of different challenges. Notably, TermFrame makes it easier for banks to comply with their regulatory obligations within the required timescales. For one financial institution client alone, Pinsents reviewed over 16,000 documents on the new system while its Detailed Review programme reviewed 1,879 documents in just 22 days at an average run-rate of 77 documents per day. Judges said this was “a very good AI platform which will save money and time in document review, matter management and novations.”

Commended: Mishcon de Reya

Mishcon de Reya identified cyber security as one of its clients’ most pressing needs, notably in the investigation and litigation process. This led to the formalisation of the firm’s cyber-related offering, which included the recruitment of an eight-strong team of non-lawyer, cyber security experts, a cyber intelligence director and a cyber innovation architect, all of whom joined following the appointment of cyber security lead, Joe Hancock, from PwC in 2016. The judges said the firm’s entry confirmed that Mishcon was active in the tech space, “utilising and integrating effective tools to maximise their client offering and investing in incubator companies”.

Best Client Service Innovation

Best Client Service Innovation

WINNER: Kennedys

A major part of Kennedys’ recent strategic growth and vision is its investment in innovation, evidenced by a growing range of products, services and joint ventures all designed to enhance client service. The firm is best known for its insurance sector focus, where clients are used to working to tight margins and indemnity spend, including legal defence costs, can have a significant impact on the bottom line. Kennedys solution is KLAiM, a unique online litigation tool that empowers clients to settle insurance claims that are in dispute without needing to instruct a lawyer and which was designed to assist insurers and organisations managing insurance claims in-house. KLAiM helps clients control and reduce legal defence costs through a proprietary workflow, avoiding defence fees entirely for up to 75 per cent of litigated cases. In the months since its launch a number of insurers such as Admiral, AXA and ERS adopted KLAiM while up to 75 per cent of cases managed via KLAiM were successfully settled. In total KLAiM saved clients £400,000 in legal costs last year, a figure Kennedys expects to treble this year. Judges said: “I liked this entry a lot. A niche client market and niche products developed with a clear commitment to innovation. The fact that, for example, KLAiM has been adopted by some of the biggest insurers speaks volumes.

Highly commended: TLT

In 2017 TLT saw an opportunity to use technology to improve the speed and efficiency of a core part of any legal team's work - contract negotiation. It recognised that with in-house teams under pressure to achieve more with less and an opportunity to focus their time on being more strategic, this area was ripe for innovation. TLT came up with a new approach to guiding clients through the contract negotiation process called "combined intelligence", designing a unique solution for contract negotiation called TLT LegalSifter that combines the power of AI with in-built legal advice from the firm’ lawyers. Judges said: “TLT’s online contract review tool must be a GC’s dream: it offers instant AI review along with access to TLT lawyers who wrote the play book. A great way to do more with less and to embed a legal team with its clients.”

Commended: BLM

BLM is commended for its range of innovations relating to combatting an epidemic of fraudulent travel sickness-related claims that risk having a significant impact on businesses in the travel industry. For one customer alone BLM’s initiatives helped transform its claims handling processes resulting in its fraud-related savings increasing from zero to an expected £50m for the initial 12-month period from the firm’s new process implementation. Judges said: “This is impressive client service - identifying a future need and going above and beyond to address it in a specialist sector.”

Business Services Team of the Year

Business Services Team of the Year

WINNER: CMS

When in October 2016 the tripartite merger between CMS Cameron McKenna, Olswang and Nabarro was confirmed it marked the beginning of an ambitious plan to deliver a fully-integrated new law firm, notably with integrated teams, operations and systems, augmented client service, a common purpose and a shared vision. And all in six short months. This was an incredibly ambitious initiative with high stakes and heavy dependency on the business services team, across all disciplines, to pull together and deliver within an exceptionally tight timeframe.

A guiding principle throughout the integration was the “best of three”, a commitment to ensuring that the merged firm adopted the best policies and programmes from the three legacy firms. The stats just from one team (IT) sheds light on the gargantuan nature of the story: 80 million documents and 6,000 mailboxes migrated from three DMS systems into one; 2,500 mobile connections consolidated into one provider and 1,500 phones reconfigured; purchased, configured and installed more than 7,000 pieces of IT kit (excluding computers); and installed more than 1,500 desktops and Surface Pros with a new CMS combined build.

Judges said: “Dealing with a merger did not initially strike me as particularly innovative however, it is clear from this submission that this merger was particularly complex given the size of the merged firm and three legacy platforms to successfully integrate. So often you hear about mergers which are in fact just a takeover of one firm by another. But I was particularly impressed by the "best of three" concept [in which CMS adopts the best policy or approach from each firm in each area].”

Highly commended: Kennedys

Strategic growth lies at the heart of Kennedys entry to this category, with the overarching objective for business services at the firm being the successful delivery of mergers, acquisitions and office openings across APAC, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the US. Since April 2017 Business Services has supported the opening of five international offices and assisted a strategic transatlantic merger. “A large number of projects delivered successfully,” said one judge, “and the breadth and depth achieved in successfully delivering them all was impressive.”

Commended: Forsters

Forsters’ head of operations Sarah-Jane Muskett led the charge on the restructuring and outsourcing of the firm’s entire front of house services to a third party specialist supplier as part one of a two-phase change programme. This was not only a significant structural shift but a major cultural change for the firm in terms of its approach to handing business services change. Judges said: “Impressive to see two quite big changes to key areas of the firm managed successfully.”

Law Firm of the Year

Law Firm of the Year

WINNER: Pinsent Masons

Pinsent Masons says its vision, first articulated four years ago, is simple: to be recognised as an international market leader in the five global sectors in which it operates, differentiated by legal excellence and “the bold pursuit of innovation”. And sometimes simple is best. Pinsents’ numbers tell a vivid story of success, with the headline being the 31 per cent rise in revenue since 2014 and a 54 per cent uplift in profit. The firm is debt free, too, something that always carries a lot of weight with present – and future – talent. Pinsents’ five strategic sectors (financial services; energy; infrastructure; real estate and advanced manufacturing and technology) now generate 90 per cent of the firm’s revenue, underlining its sharp focus. What’s more, with so much technology-led disruption coursing through the legal market, the extent to which Pinsents has embraced it via a growing number of alternative businesses and client-focused technology solutions is remarkable. Under the leadership duo of senior partner Richard Foley and managing partner John Cleland Pinsents has gone from strength to strength, but never at the expense of sacrificing its longstanding inclusive culture. Notably, 2017 saw the firm surpass its target of reaching 25 per cent female representation across its partnership a full year ahead of schedule. It has now set a new target of 30 per cent by 2020. Pinsents is on a roll.

Highly commended: CMS

Few firms would attempt a three-way merger and even fewer have managed to pull it off quite as successfully as CMS. On 1 May 2017, CMS Cameron McKenna, Nabarro and Olswang combined in a ground-breaking tripartite merger, the largest in the history of the UK legal market. As one client put it, “their merger connects the dots, meaning they are able to deliver a joined-up, global offering which is aligned to our business strategy and geographical focus”. With significant cost savings, double digit increases in profit and a stream of major client wins, the newly merged CMS is one of the UK legal market’s true success stories.

Commended: Fieldfisher

Fieldfisher has undergone a major transformation in recent years led by managing partner since 2012 Michael Chissick. The wide range of initiatives introduced as part of the firm’s enhanced focus on three key sectors (technology, finance and financial services, and energy and natural resources) include a ground-breaking management information system (LexisOne), a lower cost offering for processing work (Condor ALS) and increased investment in a more diverse workforce. The result? A 34 per cent increase in revenue, the largest growth of any law firm recorded in this period, a 16.4 per cent rise in PEP and a top of equity of £2m.